Washington governor defends climate law against repeal effort

Gov. Jay Inslee is intensifying efforts to protect Washington’s Climate Commitment Act from a repeal campaign led by conservatives.

Hallie Golden reports for The Associated Press.

In short:

• Gov. Inslee highlighted the Climate Commitment Act's funding for projects like wireless bus charging stations, attributing over $1 million to the law.
• The repeal effort, driven by Let’s Go Washington, claims the Act has raised gas prices significantly, hurting residents financially.
• The law, which aims to cut emissions and has raised $2 billion for various programs, could lose momentum if repealed, affecting state and national climate initiatives.

Key quote:

“If this initiative passes here, it would definitely create a freeze and slow down states, maybe even the country’s action on addressing the climate crisis.”

— David Mendoza, director of policy and government relations, The Nature Conservancy in Washington

Why this matters:

The potential repeal of the Climate Commitment Act threatens to undermine crucial environmental progress and could impede broader efforts to combat climate change on both state and national levels.

Related EHN coverage:

• Inslee's oil transparency initiative fails in Senate
• Governor Inslee decides against reducing wind farm size
• Pacific Northwest faces a gas pipeline dilemma amid growing climate concerns